Equitembestia
Equitembestia, their common name is spurlite,spurlites evolved from the genus Ambulospeculida they are found all throughout Wallace II but prefer warmer climates which is where they are most diverse. The role in the ecosystem this genus serves is an important one in the lives of other land organisms as they hunt parasites, eat dead skin and very occasionally even do dental service to their host. Description Spurlites range in size from being as large as a human leg (86cm | 34 in) to the size of a thumb (6.9 cm | 2.74 in) but are most commonly found to be a bit larger than the average size of a rat. They have all four limbs that their ancestors had but they are arranged in half with two pairs on one side and two pairs on the other and each one is tipped with a grippy claw. Spurlites are covered in armour arranged like the exoskeleton of an arthropod the only part not covered is an area between the two halves of it's leg groups, this area has tough skin which tends to be the same colour as the rest of the spurlite's body but in a darker shade, on this bare spot two large spiracle adorn each side which the closing structures meant to conserve moisture are commonly darker than the skin around it and have a very tough texture meant to keep it protected. They are normally dull coloured throughout the body with their front half of the main body being the exception, the colour depends on the species but at the head is where the colour is most bright and vibrant. as it goes closer down along the body, the colour goes darker and eventually turns to grey or brown depending on the species.The spurlite's head is adorned with two huge eyes which have millions of photoreceptors for excellent higher resolution vision. Below the front of the eyes is where two feathery structures are attached to the head,these are smelling organs which can be moved in a rapid fanning motion to pick up scents they also can be pressed on the head to protect them from damage, these tend to be more vibrant in colour than the head.The front of the head is where the jaws lie they are beak like in structure and have three parts to them each having pointy teeth. below that and a bit tricky to see is where its external vocal cord is which is used to communicate. At the back end of the spurlite is a curved tail it lies in a similar way to a shrimp tail. The male's tail is thinner than the females which the female’s is much broader. At the tip of the tail there is a yellow reproductive organ the female's being a paddle like structure and the males having two claspers in which to grip it with. Habitat and range Spurlites are unique in the sense that they don't have a habitat in the traditional way because spurlites are found primarily riding on the backs of other larger organisms.Because of this their range is wherever there are other large or moderately sized organisms ,though there are a few instances of island colonists who grew independent of a host. Spurlites tend to be larger in warmer climates because they can sustain greater sizes in that area. Smaller spurlites live in the insulating layers of their hosts still filling the same role as one would in warmer areas. Behaviour Spurlites don't discriminate on hosts and will hop aboard on carnivores or herbivores alike. Spurlites are swift and jittery in nature and will often bolt around to where they need to go.This is useful for when hunting the parasites that adorn their host and also to doge the dangers that their host can cause like if it were to lay down a spurlite will have to move to the other side of their host in a matter of seconds or else it would get crushed. however spurlites''' '''can become sluggish and more conservative of energy if there is no food to be found. Spurlites are very vocal and will communicate with their kind through chirping, though to make sure they do not blow their host's cover they do so quietly. Spurlites are social and commonly communicate with other spurlites on what's happening.The hunting strategy of the spurlite is to quickly scuttle and grab their prey with their mouthparts and if they need to they will also utilize their front limbs, they will then tear it into bite sized chunks, if the prey is really big than a spurlite will call for backup and they will take it down as a team. Their mating behaviour is the females prefer males with the brightest colouration in the face but if need be they will mate with other males so long as they are healthy enough to.They mate by curling their tails around the other and the male's claspers hold on to the females paddle shaped structure and they stay like this for 20 minutes. If the female choses to use the sperm then eggs will develop in 2 weeks when that time comes she lays the eggs directly on the underside of her tail there can be as many as 500 eggs ,She will keep them safe curled in her tail for 8 weeks until they hatch. The hatchlings stay in the safety of mother's tail until the little spurlings are big enough to fend for themselves. Populations of these creatures are always isolated in small groups so inbreeding is an imminent danger, they have a few handy adaptations to protect against it. The first adaptation they have is that spurlites can recognize family members so they avoid mating with them. Another adaptation they have is that they will take any opportunity to hop ship on a different host so they can breed with new spurlites. The last adaptation and arguably the most interesting is that females can store sperm from prevues matings with males for later use or remarkably if she wants to she can share the sperm with other females. Spurlites make sure their host stays healthy and safe even going as far as to warn their host of danger. Spurlites excrete waste out of a hole under where the tail connects to the body, they aim it outwards to make sure it doesn't go on their host.